Photo Exhibition for GI War Adoptees Cancelled

The Marmot has posted a letter from the coordinator of the photo exhibit, “GIs and the Kids – A Love Story”, which was to be displayed at the War Memorial. I was actually looking forward to seeing this display when I first heard about it. Now according to the letter the exhibit has been cancelled because some General over at the War Memorial who had connections at the Blue House got the project cancelled because he thought the content would hurt Korean Pride. Or is it just another effort to rewrite history:

When an army vehicle tragically killed two Korean girls several years ago tens of thousands of Koreans marched in the streets protesting against the presence of US forces in Korea. Yet, seemingly, none of them are interested in the fact that we American GIs saved the lives of over TEN THOUSAND Korean children during the war years. The difference? One knew who the parents of the two girls were but the orphans of the war years were without lineage and not worth saving. I have been told by Korean professionals and even by Korean diplomats, that this photo exhibit is insulting to many Koreans. I have tried to get them to explain why they deem it so and it always turns out that it, indirectly, portrays their own lack of interest in and compassion for the orphans.

Some of this embarrassment was expressed publicly during the Seoul Olympics when Korea was taken to task for the export of children without lineage or of questionable lineage (over 200,000 in the last 55 years!). I feel the Korean reaction to this photo exhibit is similar. They can’t stand seeing a picture of a little Korean girl hugging a GI with affection when “proper” Koreans wouldn’t even consider having that urchin allowed in the house.

This is so ironic coming from a country that condemns the Japanese for white washing history, but Korea continues to rewrite their own history continuously. The MacArthur Statue controversy is another perfect example of this.

The fact that Korea as a society has abandoned many orphans is undeniable. Their own authors have even said so. In the book Chinatown, written by Oh Jung-hee, the author writes about her experiences as a 9 year old growing up in the Chinatown section of post war Inchon. The author in the book describes the daily life of the kids, the prostitutes wandering around Chinatown, actions of American soldiers stationed in town, and talks about what happens to orphans in Korean society. Orphans were beaten, abandoned, and scorned upon by Korean society. By the way she also liked the MacArthur Statue and the kids back then used to climb on the statue and play on it, not try to tear it down like the idiots of today.

How will Korea ever change the treatment of orphans if no one is educated about the problem? Plus the statement that Korean people will find the exhibit insulting I find particularly interesting. Does anyone worry that this whitewashing of history is insulting towards American people?

For those interested here is the link to the Korean War Children’s Memorial site.